New Uses for Motorcabs.
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Scope for the rnotoreab is not limited to the conveyance of passengers and their personal luggage. We have made earlier mention of the smart tradesmen who please telephone clients by rapid dispatch when their own motorvans are all out--it is so much cheaper to fall back upon the taxi, compared with spare vans. No matter that the cost is, say, 28. 6d. and a boy's time, for the responsive completion of an order on which the profit is less than Is. The loss comes back in both added reputation for attention and in actual profits afterwards. That incidental development, however, is but typical. We perceive unending openings for recourse to these men upon the ranks. and to their quick-moving charges which have ample speed and cubic capacity for a variety of purposes. At the moment, we content ourselves with reference to one of outstanding public interest--the distribution of afternoon papers. At call and, we feel confidence in asserting, at low cost, special and other editions of London newspapers are hurried simultaneously in six or more directions, at the cost of Sd. a mile plus occasional waiting charges as per the
known scale of 2d. per minutes. No capital outlay, no risks of claims, no wages to pay while men are idle: just a known cash outgo, according to services rendered. Will others take the hint?
Summer Trades.
It is a foolish idea, yet one which obtains not only amongst owners and hirers of transport vehicles, that April or May—or even June—is time enough to think about the ordering of new plant. That old-fashioned and unintelligent misconception requires to be smashed, so far as commercial motors are concerned. Motors cannot be bought at the counter, unlike penny buns. People who want them for the summer—mineral-water manufacturers, tradesmen at holiday resorts, ice merchants, caterers, dairymen, lager-beer brewers, fruit growere, market-gar To those of our readers whose delivery or haulage work rises to a peak in July or August, we would also address a few words of warning. The forthcoming Show at Manchester, to the support of which the next two issues of this journal will be principally directed, threatens to place the whole of our leading makers at " the last gasp " for any early output which is free. That means, in not fewer than four cases, delivery in August for thoee who decide instantly; in several others, with luck, it may forebode the middle of June. We have, in fact, to face a present shortage, which is a serious factor of itself, and the carol bury holds good that the growth of manufacture cannot, acoording to the best of our information, keep pace with pending sales which are literally in sight. The simple question is this: who wants to be left out ? There is a steady, substantial and non-artificial expansion on the heavy side of the industry—in the volume of orders for vans, lorries, rollers, tractors and sundry types. There is a real boom, not a speculative one, in the trade.. 'We are almost inclined to hazard 20 per cent, as the figure of unsold production, for this year of grace, which will remain available to meet the enormously-greater requirements of clamouring buyers before the merry month of May is upon us. In spite of this, pity their innocence, there are a few self-satisfied individuals who would place summer trade in commercial motors amongst the matters which concern the future. Buy, buy, buy—while you can. That is what we say. If in doubt, try. Central Research Laboratory Wanted. Individual owners, makers and journalists are pestered, well nigh to the point of exasperation, by inventors and patentees. The grievance, no doubt, is an old one: the writer has suffered acutely for six years only All fairminded men of progressive inclinations hesitate to" turn down " a design, a device or its enthusiastic advocate without some consideration, and more-than-deserved consideration is frequently given to one or other of the scores of ideas which are submitted to anybody who to-day occupies a position of responsibility in the motor industry. There are, of necessity, well-recognized methods of sorting the potentially-good from the valueless. They are essential to the peace of mind and necessary reservation of time of the man who sits inside. Our immediate concern, now, is to examine to-day's situation when something apparently good has got through to somebody— has emerged from the ruck. Who is to. test it, to prove it, to certify it? Who does so at present? The R.A.C., to a strictlylimited extent. No other independent and disinterested body has the resources at its disposal. We are not satisfied that existing channels are sells. factory : they are admittedly not ideal, and they should be enlarged. The machinery is not yet in force, except far avowedly-business purposes. The R.A.C. tests, excellent in themselves, apply to vehicles, systems or parts which already have money enough behind them to enable the promoters to pay the fees, but we believe that a good case can be made for scientific research as a distinct branch of activity. The Institution of Automobile Engineers has not the money: the Royal Automobile Club and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, between them, have. In France, under M. Lurnet, the laborato: y of the A.C.F. has done excellent service for the industry and owners alike, but there is room for something much better still in England. A happy -combination, both es regards equipment and supervision, of chemical, physical and engineering sections is needed, although the cost of three dietinet branches should not be prohibitive. Much useful advice and assistance might be obtained from the Committee of the National Physical Laboratory, with wnich body there would naturally be close relations in many eivestieat ions. Irreparable waste of money and tune to-day characterizes the lack of method by which members of the motor industry and their customers test, say, a new carburetter. That is, perhaps, the commonest instance that can be cited ; the so-called results are as diverse as the varying conditions of trial. We would cite, quite at random, the all-round benefits that must accrue from centralized and truly-comparable investigations into matters such as precision feed of mixture to internal-combustion engines ; self-adjusting magneto ignition ; alternative fuels; engine indication; carburetter efficiency (including effects of wear); transmission losses; lubricant standards and values; frictional and other co-efficients ; causes of heating in pneumatic and solid tires; drawbar dynamometer tests in relation b.h.p. of engine; two-cycle engines; the efficiency of cooling fans; self-starting devices; stresses in axles and steering-gear parts. Makers would not refrain from pursuing certain examinations and experiments on their own account. The love of secrecy is a guarantee of that. The sane inventor, for whom we contend, would prefer the chance to present his claims elsewhere than to a maker, in the knowledge that they would command more-impartial review in a properlyestablished central laboratory. There could, we presume, be private reports to the originators of the instructions in works' cases, although our conception of the ideal organization is one in which secrecy would take an inferior place and be altogether exceptional. The Royal Automobile Club is threatened, in the opinion of mail), close observers, with an imminent submergence of all but the social side of its activities: nine people out of ten look upon its restaurant, its baths, its gymnasium and its palatial rooms as the ultima Mille of its members' ambitions. In that view, we most certainly do not concur. Let the Club have six months, by all means, in order that it may gain the experience to administer its huge departure successfully—as it will—and may carry out the programme of the Prince Henry Trophy. When a reasonable interval for internal adjustment and self-examination has elapsed, we forecast that the Club will justify and maintain its earliest reputation as a societe d'encouragemoat. Then, if the idea has not been seized upon by some other motoring institution, we believe the scheme of a creditable research laboratory will be adopted with verve. The nucleus exists. Getting Ready for Manchester. Next week is to witness the holding of the first North of England Show. This combined display is the outcome of Manchester's tenacity—of the survival of its local show in the teeth of uncompromising opposition which in the end wisely recognized facts as they were. Now, there is a happy family of Lancashire and London committeemen, directors and exhibitors. The Show will be a great success, and will be well attended. We are glad to see that the Earl of Derby will take a leading part in the opening function. His late father was for more than 12 years the active President of the Liverpool Self-Propelled Traffic Association, and was a liberal supporter of the competitive trials of 1898, 1899 and 1901 for the conduct and organization of which the writer of these lines was responsible; one of his brothers, the Hon. Arthur Stanley, M.P., has on numerous occasions helped forward the movement ; yet another, brother, the Hon, Ferdinand Stanley, is a director of the Berne Co. Lord Derby's name is naturally known all over the country, and is of particular influence in Lancashire; he is, too, President of the Liverpool A.C. and S.-P.T.A. We congratulate Mr. Manville, the President of the S.M.M.T., on his success in obtaining Lord Derby's acceptance and personal interest. It will give a good sendoff to the proceedings. Of Manchester as an industrial centre, we do not require to write at length ; several facts will suffice to convey to readers an adequate impression of its potentialities as the heart of a district in which commercial motors must continue to be widely used. We refer to the Bankers' Clearing House returns, which, tor Manchester alone, are some 14 millions sterling per annum greater than for Liverpool, Birmingham, Leeds and Sheffield put together, and to the steadily-growing traffic of the Ship Canal. Also, it is of importance to intending buyers to know, that every assistance and encouragement is given to motor-vehicle owners by Manchester authorities generally, although one or two county boroughs in the neighbourhood have, in the past, not shown themselves equally favourable. Rubber-tired traffic, it may be noted, appears to be universally acceptable, both in Mane tester and in the county boroughs which we have in mind—as it deserves to be. There have been signs of great activity, at the Exhibition Hall, Rusholme, views of which appear elsewhere in this issue, during the past ten days. An army of workmen has been removing the stands and fittings which were utilized in connection with the recent Japanese Exhibition there, but, as we go to press, good progress is being niade with the interior equipment to suit the demands of the forthcoming motor show. We are sorry that only a comparatively-small area of the total is allotted to cone. mercial-vehicle manufacturers proper, and we feel that several well-known names will be missed both by existing customers and new buyers. The comprehensive character of the allied exhibits, in the several accessory, component, sores, tires, wheels and other branches, will, however, help to mask the apparent shortage on the vehicle side, and the real deficiencies will probably also be overlooked, by the ordinary visitor, to a large extent by reason of the representative types which are to be staged upon the ten stands that have been specifically reserved for vehicle exhibits. Both petrol and steam will he there. Trade in Canada. An esteemed Canadian subscriber, writing under date the 24th ult., in respect of the demand for agricultural motors ;n Canada, deplores the apathy and lack of interest which, he asserts, is damaging British manufacturers in respect of Canadian trade. At the present moment, when commercial relations between the United States and Camilla, are much in the public eye, it is not inopportune that we should make a few extracts from the communication under notice. We quote :—" I can cialy suppose that British makers are either too busy, or are slumbering soundly and do not hear the call for agricultural tractors in this country. There is such a demand, that every Tom, Dick and Harry' is starting up to make motors. Price does not stand in the way; it is a case that the farmers must have them, or be content with half their land cropped." We fully agree with these remarks, so far as they apply to the necessity for the Canadian farmer to have motor power on the farm : our earliest lengthy references to the matter, together with illustrations, were published in the issue of this journal dated 29th March, 1906—nearly five years ago. On the other hand, in justice to British manufacturers, it has to be admitted, so far as we are in a position to judge, that there was some cause for dissatisfaction with the treatment meted out to British competitors at the Winnipeg Trials of 1909, whilst, last year, so far as we were informed by oorrespondents on the spot, the trials were conducted in a farcical manner. British manufacturers are entitled to ask this question :—Why did Canadian promoters practically hand over all arrangements to the American Society of Engineers, and thereby invite the appointment of American judges ? What is going to happen in respect of this year's proposed competition at Winnipeg? Matters are being kept very dark, so we are told, and this appears to be the fault of the Winnipeg Exhibition Board, or some members of it. There should at least be an impartial committee to conduct the competition. It would, of course, strengthen the hands of those who are supporting British interests in Canada., if home manufacturers were to be a little more responsive to communications and inquiries about their intentions. Canadian business deserves to be cultivated and studied.Tags